sctp: fix soft lockup from unpadded ASCONF-ACK parameter iteration
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-98123 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | Linux |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-09-25 11:17:43 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-10-19 10:18:10 UTC |
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sctp: fix soft lockup from unpadded ASCONF-ACK parameter iteration sctp_verify_asconf() walks ASCONF-ACK parameters with sctp_walk_params(), which advances by SCTP_PAD4(length), while the consumer sctp_get_asconf_response() iterates the same parameters advancing by the raw length, without padding. A single odd-length parameter desynchronises the two walks and makes the consumer interpret attacker-controlled bytes at a misaligned offset. When those bytes yield a length of zero, the while loop over asconf_ack_len makes no progress, spinning forever in softirq context, and the watchdog reports a soft lockup. All reads stay within the received skb, so the lockup is a pure remote denial of service. A remote peer can trigger it with a crafted ASCONF-ACK on an ADD-IP enabled association with an outstanding ASCONF (RFC 5061 section 4.1.2 requires the chunk to be authenticated, but the predefined empty key id 0 allows the peer to compute the same association HMAC from publicly exchanged parameters, so the gate does not help). The SCTP_PARAM_ERR_CAUSE case of sctp_verify_asconf() also performs no length check, letting a parameter without a complete error header reach the consumer, which reads errhdr.cause past the end of the parameter, an out-of-bounds read. Reject SCTP_PARAM_ERR_CAUSE parameters shorter than sizeof(struct sctp_addip_param) + sizeof(struct sctp_errhdr) at the verifier, and advance the consumer iterator with the same padding rule as the verifier to keep the two walks in lockstep. The verifier change guarantees a complete error header in every ERR_CAUSE parameter the consumer can see, so the consumer's asconf_ack_len check is dropped and it returns err_param->cause directly. The consumer padding fix is still required because odd lengths remain valid for SCTP_PARAM_ERR_CAUSE per RFC 5061. The issue was found by ZeroHive, a vulnerability hunting agent at Tencent Yunding Lab. |
Risk And Classification
EPSS: 0.001770000 probability, percentile 0.065890000 (date 2026-10-05)
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Linux | Linux | affected 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 ba54cad229977f4fae6355dbdaf117088414fdd0 git | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | affected 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 7d8e7ab6a0665888beee91f7ad77ac805963c4fd git | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | affected 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 5fbc6a778d5fce7628821236972596acb18e1065 git | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | affected 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 4548d843e7b29f6d150d8caae4e64015fa226b0c git | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | affected 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 abf59d7f6fff23227256e8199aca5ade45758f8b git | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | affected 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 3be02999ab9131a4b96eb1eda4ca48b1cea80f03 git | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | affected 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 7ba84e2971d208a2d6413a334ec28a8a32cdce0f git | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | affected 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 2cb0b0b1ed69430bf73740377ea0a1c44c50db63 git | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | affected 2.6.12 | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | unaffected 2.6.12 semver | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | unaffected 5.10.271 5.10.* semver | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | unaffected 5.15.222 5.15.* semver | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | unaffected 6.1.189 6.1.* semver | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | unaffected 6.6.158 6.6.* semver | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | unaffected 6.12.111 6.12.* semver | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | unaffected 6.18.53 6.18.* semver | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | unaffected 7.2.7 7.2.* semver | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | unaffected 7.3 * original_commit_for_fix | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| git.kernel.org/stable/c/7ba84e2971d208a2d6413a334ec28a8a32cdce0f | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 | git.kernel.org | |
| git.kernel.org/stable/c/4548d843e7b29f6d150d8caae4e64015fa226b0c | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 | git.kernel.org | |
| git.kernel.org/stable/c/abf59d7f6fff23227256e8199aca5ade45758f8b | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 | git.kernel.org | |
| git.kernel.org/stable/c/ba54cad229977f4fae6355dbdaf117088414fdd0 | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 | git.kernel.org | |
| git.kernel.org/stable/c/7d8e7ab6a0665888beee91f7ad77ac805963c4fd | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 | git.kernel.org | |
| git.kernel.org/stable/c/5fbc6a778d5fce7628821236972596acb18e1065 | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 | git.kernel.org | |
| git.kernel.org/stable/c/2cb0b0b1ed69430bf73740377ea0a1c44c50db63 | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 | git.kernel.org | |
| git.kernel.org/stable/c/3be02999ab9131a4b96eb1eda4ca48b1cea80f03 | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 | git.kernel.org | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.